Avocados, grain, and beans, continued to be my vegan staples.

I love fruits, so I integrated apples, bananas, and berries regularly. I started cooking with foods like miso because I was missing out on the flavor of garlic and onion. I had to find things that comforted me– foods that were delicious and nourishing. I also love spicy food, not to mention, garlic, onion, and citrus are in everything. I love going out and having a glass of wine, and I used to be a huge coffee drinker. I cut those foods out for six weeks, and it was really challenging. I would have eliminated meat and dairy as well, but they were not a part of the vegan diet I already followed. I eliminated vinegars, garlic, onion, any strong spicy foods, citrus, chocolate, tomatoes, any caffeine (even decaf), and alcohol. The recommendation was an extremely low-acid diet, as well as not eating 4 hours before bed or directly before exercising. Also, as a health coach, I knew that the only real way to heal was through food and lifestyle changes. In the past, I had tried the acid-blockers as per my mother’s suggestion, and they didn’t help at all. The ENT immediately tried to prescribe acid blockers to prevent the symptoms. In my case, it was making me sound like Harvey Fierstein – not cute for a petite fitness instructor! This type of reflux often goes undiagnosed because most people don’t have associated heartburn to go with it – the acid “silently” splashes up from the stomach into the back of the throat and scars your voice box (larynx). When I finally saw an ENT and had my vocal chords scoped, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that I shared a diagnosis with my mom. My mother had had the same experience, and was diagnosed with LPR. I was also experiencing a post-nasal drip and the irritating feeling of having to clear my throat constantly. So when I started to regularly lose my upper vocal register and sometimes my whole voice altogether, I became very concerned. When I lost my voice, suddenly my livelihood was at risk.Īs a fitness instructor and vocalist, I use my voice for everything that I do.

By eliminating irritating foods and finding a diet that worked for her, she brought her voice back! Hannah began losing her voice and was subsequently diagnosed with LPR.

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